(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Idris Ahmad, 5, points out sunflowers to Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall as they tour the city’s newest community garden, at Richmond Park, alongside Jackie Thompson, at right, on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021. Thompson dressed up to portray the park's namesake, Mignon Barker Richmond, the first African American woman to graduate from college in Utah.
Leia Larsen is a sixth generation Utahn and a water and land use reporter reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune. She has covered environment, energy and political issues throughout the West. When she’s not chasing the news, Leia can be found exploring the Wasatch Mountains, sleeping in the desert or rooting around her garden.